"Working this whole serial killer thing isn't going to be dangerous, is it?" Paul asked Will early the next morning. The two were a tangle of arms and legs and sheets.

"I don't know," Will replied honestly. "It shouldn't be. Why?"

"I worry about you," Paul answered. He grabbed Will's hand and traced over Will's strong fingers one by one.

Will smiled and moved closer to Paul. He linked his fingers with Paul's.

"I have a bunch of publicity stuff to do today," Paul revealed. "Interviews and pictures and god only knows."

"You're good at interviews though," Will offered.

"I'm good with you giving an interview," Paul pointed out. "It's not like I'm that open with anyone else."

"I would hope not," Will teased. "But," he added. "Even when it was just baseball talk you were really good."

"That was baseball," Paul sighed. "This is cologne. How many ways can I say I like the way it smells?"

"You'll find a way," Will assured him.

"What about you?" Paul wondered. "Are you gonna get started on your reporting?"

"Yeah," Will confirmed. "I want to go down to the police station and see what they can offer me. Then I want to talk to Chad."

"You're absolutely certain he's not a serial killer, right?" Paul double-checked. "Because I don't want you getting ambushed by someone you thought was a friend."

"I am almost 98% certain it's not Chad," Will told Paul. When he saw Paul's curious face, Will smiled. "I'm not going to rule him out just because he's my friend. But I really don't think it's him. One person? Sure, Chad might kill someone in self-defense or on accident. Four women? Not so much."

"Why are you so blasé about killing people?" Paul chuckled. He knew Will's past was rife with that kind of thing but it was still odd.

Will shrugged. "Comes with the territory, I suppose," he replied.

Will vaguely wondered if he should tell Paul about the time he almost killed EJ. 'Mmm,' Will thought. 'Probably need to wait until we've been officially dating for longer than a few days.'

"Is that what I get to look forward to down the road?" Paul flashed Will a grin. He pulled Will close, hands burying into Will's shortened, blonde locks. "Murder and mayhem?"

"Welcome to the wonderful world of Will Horton," Will commented before meeting Paul's lips in a teasing kiss.

Later, after breakfast was over, and Ari's face was successfully cleaned off, Will had something to ask Paul.

"What time do you have to be at work?" Will asked Paul.

"Not until 11," Paul replied. "Why?"

"Do you want to go with us on our run?" Will questioned.

Paul nodded enthusiastically. Over the past few weeks, Paul had never once gotten to participate in Will and Ari's daily workout. Paul couldn't help but think this had to mean something. That this was another part of Will's life and routine Paul was invited to join.

"Daddy," Ari called from the bathroom. "I go potty!"

Will flashed Paul a smile. "I really hope that means inside of the toilet," Will said.

Paul, cringing, agreed.

"I'm gonna head over to the hotel and get some workout stuff," Paul told Will. "Then I'll be back."

Will and Paul jogged side-by-side on a trail near the river front. Ari, bundled in a blanket and a large coat, happily jabbed at her tablet. Every time the stroller hit a bump, Ari would make an undignified sound.

Neither Will nor Paul said much as they ran alongside the water. Their legs and lungs were burning. 'In an entirely different way than I'm used to with Will,' Paul thought with a smile.

Paul had to admit that this was nice. Maybe things were a bit more domesticated than he anticipated. But, Paul was having fun.

'Spending time with Will is fun,' Paul thought.

Thinking back on their time together Paul knew with Will around his life would be interesting. Will with his traumatic childhood and tiger attacks and casual way he spoke about murder and mystery.

Paul didn't expect the first relationship he would be in as an out and proud man would be with a single father. But, Paul glanced over at Will, sweat sliding down the back of his neck and over a freckle Paul liked to dig his teeth into. Paul knew Will was more than that.

Maybe Paul wasn't used to potty training and he used the word nap with a toddler.

'I'm learning though,' Paul thought.

So many times he had almost written off Will. Before he even met him, when Will was just the mysterious man Sonny was married to. When Will was the journalist who only cared about getting the story. When Will was the belligerent rival or the falsely compassionate friend.

'I could have walked away at any time,' Paul reminded himself. 'And I didn't. I couldn't.'

Paul knew Will was a lot of things. He was more than just a single father trying to get by. He was more than just a depressed, lost little boy. He was even more than just a sexy bedfellow.

And Paul Narita was enjoying getting to know each and every facet of Will Horton. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

"What?" Will asked Paul. He couldn't help but notice the strange look Paul was giving him.

"Nothing," Paul shook his head but smiled. "Nothing at all."

Paul turned his head to look at the other side of the river. He could make out a large building that looked like new construction. He couldn't make out the entire sign but he saw the phrase, "Luxury Condominiums."

'I wouldn't mind looking at this view every day,' Paul thought.

It was entirely a coincidence that the condos were a scant six blocks from Will's new apartment building.

Will and Ari were both freshly bathed and looking smart. They walked down the street towards the building for the Salem Chronicle.

One benefit to becoming a freelance reporter for the newspaper meant enjoying the amenities offered to employees. The most exciting to Will was free daycare.

"Daddy is starting a new job today," Will informed Ari, holding her hand. "And Ari gets to go to daycare while I'm working."

"Taycare?" Ari repeated. She sometimes mixed up her d and t sounds still.

"Daycare," Will enunciated. "That means you get to play with other kids all day. You'll get to play and make friends and even start to do a bit of learning. Does that sound like fun?"

"Friends?" Ari asked excitedly. "I like friends!"

"I thought you'd like that," Will smiled.

Almost an hour later Will left for the police station. After filling out the initial paperwork, Will sat and watched Ari interact with the other kids for nearly half an hour. He was a little anxious about leaving her there alone. Will could tell the employees were all professional and the place looked immaculate but still. Will didn't want to leave his baby with strangers.

Will watched Ari play and giggle, even sitting down for storytime without a problem. Will knew he had to leave.

Blinking a few tears from his eyes, Will insisted it was from allergies. He didn't want to acknowledge how emotional the thought of his daughter growing older and needing him less made him want to cry.

'Get a grip,' Will ordered himself. 'You need your mind clear to do this job.'

Hit with a sudden burst of inspiration, Will made a detour to the Brady Pub.

Will was off to delve into his job as an investigative journalist. Meanwhile, Paul was in the middle of his third interview for the day.

Paul smiled blandly and nodded his head. He thought it would be outright rude if the woman across from him knew how banal her questions were.

"So," the woman tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Why the name Narita?"

Paul, thinking back to how the name for the cologne came about, bit his lip.

"Oooh," the woman teased. "There's a story there."

"Not really," Paul dismissed. "OK, I was with some friends and we were all talking about how the original name for the cologne sucked. One of my friends," Paul tried to hold back his smile but didn't think he succeeded. "Suggested Narita. I brought it up with the company and it stuck."

"A friend, huh?" the woman smiled even wider, pearly teeth nearly blinding Paul. "Would this friend happen to be a local journalist you've been rumored to be seeing?"

Paul thought about how he should answer. He and Will never really discussed a situation like this.

'But it was already in the newspaper. Everyone already knows what happened in the past,' Paul reminded himself. 'And this way Will will know I'm serious. That I take this seriously.'

"Yeah," Paul finally said. "Will Horton, my boyfriend, came up with the name of the cologne."

Paul got the distinct feeling the cologne was not going to be the focus of this woman's story.

Will walked into the police station with his arms laden down with boxes of food from the Pub. He knew well enough that a little bit of bribery and a kind smile could get him just about anything in this building.

"Hey, food," Will called out. Within moments he was surrounded by police officers and workers all ready to take the boxes off of his hands.

'My bank account isn't thanking me now,' Will thought. 'But this will hopefully lead to a long and prosperous business relationship.'

"Hey," Rafe clapped Will on the back. His other hand was holding a still warm and fresh burger. "I thought us police were on your bad side."

"You were," Will acknowledged. "But I wanted to make amends for that."

"And?" Rafe asked knowing there had to be more. He knew Will too well for that.

"And," Will smiled at Rafe hopefully. He showed his recently issued press credentials for the Salem Chronicle.

Rafe shook his head and laughed. "Oh man," he covered his face with his free hand. "At least it's you."

Will blinked a few times. "I guess that's a compliment," he said.

Rafe polished off the burger and snatched a serving of fries.

"What exactly do you want to know?" Rafe wondered.

Will shrugged. "Anything you can give me," Will replied. "I'm officially on the Necktie Killer beat."

Rafe gave Will a hard look.

"OK," Rafe opened the door to the interrogation room with their investigation board set up. "You take a look and I'll get Roman."

'Well,' Will waited until Rafe left the room to pull out a camera and start snapping pictures. 'This is going better than expected.'

"I thought the Salem police department couldn't solve anything unless someone walked in and confessed?" Roman asked Will with a hint of a smirk.

Will swallowed any immediate response to that. Instead, Will kept his hands folded on his grandfather's desk.

'Don't think of him as your grandpa. Think of him as a news source,' Will reminded himself.

"I was upset, yes," Will confirmed. "But you know how much I admire and respect your position."

Throwing his advice away, Will smiled at his grandfather. "Remember when I used to come and visit you when I was a kid? And I had my own badge and my own hat? Remember?" Will cajoled.

Roman sighed. "Yes, I remember. Everyone loved it when you came to visit."

"If you want," Will beamed. "I can put on the hat again?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "No, that won't be necessary."

Sighing deeply, Roman said, "If we're doing this I want you following the book. No messing up our investigation and no going off on your own. You keep us in the loop."

"OK," Will eagerly agreed.

"And," Roman held up his hand and opened a drawer in his desk. "You're carrying this around with you."

Will looked at the small bottle on the table. "I don't get it," Will admitted.

"It's a personal attack device," Roman explained. At Will's blank look Roman added, "...A rape alarm."

"Grandpa," Will groaned. "I'm not a girl."

"I don't care," Roman stated, smacking his fist on the desk. "There's a serial killer loose and my grandson wants to go sticking his nose in the middle of it."

Roman picked up the bottle and showed Will how it worked. "You spray this in your attackers face, got it? It'll spray them with a red liquid, incapacitating them long enough to get away."

Will grabbed the bottle and shoved it in his pocket. "OK, take this with me. Anything else?"

"Be careful," Roman advised.

Will nodded and stood up. Spotting his grandpa's dress hat on a peg near the door, Will swiped it and placed it on his head.

Roman laughed as Will walked out the door.

"Why exactly is Chad the only suspect?" Will wondered as he stared at Chad's picture on the board. 'And why didn't you use a better picture?'

"All our victims have one thing in common," Hope told Will, taking her glasses off. "They all had encounters with Chad DiMera before they were killed."

Will looked over the photos of the four victims. Serena Mason who had gotten drunk with Chad the night she was killed. Paige Larson, seen arguing with Chad in public an hour or so before her death. Rene Collins, waitress at TBD, who had a gruff encounter with her boss the day before she was killed.

'And the last victim,' Will thought seeing the picture of Daphne Smith. 'Got into it with Chad in an alley behind TBD.'

Will had to admit it didn't look good. But he somehow knew that Chad couldn't be the only thing connecting the four women.

"Have you looked into any other leads?" Will asked curiously. His instincts told him there had to be something or someone.

'It's a small town. There has to be something,' Will thought. 'They were bound to have crossed paths or frequented the same places.'

"There are no other leads," came a familiar voice behind Will.

Will took a deep breath, determined to be professional.

Will nodded at Justin. "Really?" Will mused.

"You don't think it's a little suspicious that there's no DNA evidence at any of the crime scenes? But somehow 'Chad'," Will used air quotations, "Was dumb enough to leave physical evidence that leads directly to him."

"So, again, I ask, really?" Will gave Justin a judgmental look.

"Yes," Justin turned to glare at Hope. "Exactly what is he doing in here?"

"He's our new connection to the media," Rafe announced, walking into the room.

"Meaning what?" Justin crossed his arms.

"Meaning the only news about the killer from now on is going through Will," Hope said. She hoped she could appease all the male egos in the room.

Justin huffed before demanding, "Anything new?"

"No," Rafe admitted. "We've got a tail on Chad but he's laying low in the mansion. No new evidence, nothing."

Will watched the proceedings with interest.

"Well, keep eyes on him all the time," Justin ordered. "We're going to get that DiMera bastard if it's the last thing we do."

Will followed Justin with his eyes as he stormed off.

'First thing I'm writing is the lack of fair and impartial judgement,' Will rolled his eyes.

"That going in the article?" Rafe asked Will with a hint of a smile.

"Oh, you know it," Will informed him. "He is aware that he has to be elected to keep his job, right?"

Rafe nodded before saying, "Nice hat."

Will waited patiently inside the front room of the DiMera mansion. He had spent so much time over the years in the room he probably could have drawn it from memory.

"William Horton," Stefano declared, attendant wheeling him into the room then leaving. "What are you of all people doing in my home?"

"He's here for me," Chad announced, coming into the room from outside. Chad gestured towards the sofa, inviting Will to sit with him.

"Right," Will smiled. He had talked to Chad briefly on the phone the night before so Chad knew what was about to happen.

"I'm just glad to have someone on my side," Chad leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

"I am," Will insisted. "I know you didn't kill anyone. But it's going to take a lot to prove it."

Will pulled out his recorder and his tablet. "Now, is it OK if I ask you some questions?"

Almost an hour later, Will stared at Chad.

"Who do you think is framing you?" Will asked. "Is this about you or about your family?"

"I don't know," Chad ran his fingers through his hair. "It would make more sense to be going after the family. It's not like I've made that many enemies personally."

Will, getting a hunch, searched through apps on his tablet before finding the one he wanted.

"DiMera's aren't short on enemies," Will mused. "But if we can find out why someone would be framing you it'll lead to whom."

"I can see why the police don't believe you though," Will commented.

Chad rolled his eyes.

Will licked his lips. "But you've given me a lot to work with."

"And what exactly are you going to be doing?" Stefano gruffly demanded.

Will had mostly ignored Stefano during the interview. But, he figured he should at least be polite.

"I'm going to write about what I learned at the police station and what I learned here," Will told him. "Plus, there are a few things I want to look into now."

"How are you going to find anything that my men have missed?" Stefano wondered.

"It doesn't matter if I find something they don't," Will pointed out as he stood up. "I'm the reporter. Whatever I report is what people will believe."

"Also," Will stood up with his tablet in hand. "I wouldn't place too much value on your men," Will told Stefano.

"Why is that?" Stefano asked in exasperation.

"Because you've got a bug," Will said. He showed Stefano his app which had begun pinging indicating there was electronic surveillance in the room.

Within a few minutes, Will found the planted bug and started snapping pictures.

'First day on the job and I'm already doing better than the police,' Will thought. He did his best not to chuckle at Stefano's outrage.

"I think this might put a bit more credence to your theory about being framed," Will stated. He pulled out the listening device and held it up.

"Hello?" Will said into his phone later that night.

"Hey," Paul answered. "How was your first day on the job?"

"Productive," Will replied. "I found some spy equipment at the DiMera mansion. I don't think the police seemed too impressed though. I banged out something for tomorrow's paper. I'm hoping my next articles are going to be better though."

"How was life as a model?" Will wondered. He was researching online to see if he could find anything about the bug he found at the mansion. He didn't exactly trust the police to look into it the way he wanted.

"Dull," Paul responded. "Although don't be too surprised if there's some new articles about us out."

"Us?" Will stopped fiddling with his laptop. "What about us?"

"I kind of told one of the reporters you were my boyfriend," Paul explained.

"Oh," Will blinked a few times. "That's OK."

"It is?" Paul was nervous. He wasn't sure how Will was going to take the news.

"It's true, isn't it?" Will smiled a bit. "I'm your boyfriend."

"Yes, yes you are," Paul couldn't stop the wide grin from spreading across his face.

"Considering the other articles about us," Will chuckled. "This one could actually be flattering."

"Yeah," Paul agreed. "Are you still planning on moving to your new apartment tomorrow?"

"Uh huh," Will replied. "Do you think you'll be able to help?"

"I have a meeting first thing in the morning," Paul reminded Will. "But afterwards I'm all yours."

A Few Weeks Ago

"Do you have to go into work today?" Will asked, lying in Paul's bed.

It was early the next morning. The two were slowly waking up.

"No," Paul answered. He was on his side facing Will, hovering slightly.

Will's eyes were closed but he could feel Paul staring.

"Stop that," Will ordered, cheeks flushed.

"I'm not doing anything," Paul argued.

"You're looking," Will complained.

"You're naked," Paul laughed. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know," Will huffed.

"Do you have a lot of writing to do today?" Paul asked, changing the subject.

"No," Will smiled. "I'm giving myself a break."

"Oh," Paul scooted closer to Will, pressing their bare skin together. "So, you don't have to work today and either do I. Whatever will we do?"

"I thought you were too sore from last night," Will grinned.

"I was always taught to push through sore muscles," Paul dismissed. He wrapped his arms around Will's hips, fingers digging into the exposed flesh.

"Besides, what I have in mind isn't going to work me over. Well, actually, it might."

"Just what do you have in mind?" Will looked into Paul's eyes.

Paul gave Will a sheepish grin. "How about I just show you what I want?"

A few moments later, Will and Paul were watching a video on Paul's phone.

"I don't know if we're the right size for that," Will said logically. Will was definitely smaller than the porn star being lifted in the video.

"Only one way to find out, though, right?" Paul grinned. He tossed his phone to the side. They could still hear the pants and moans coming from the speakers.

Will yanked Paul into a kiss.

"Is that what you look at when I'm not here?" Will asked. He trailed his lips down Paul's chin and towards his neck.

"Y-yeah," Paul admitted. His lashes fluttered closed when Will began to suck on the spot between his collar bones.

Will moaned. "That's so hot."

"Oh, yeah?" Paul hummed.

"Mmm hmm," Will confessed. "Thinking about you lying in this bed, fisting yourself," Will rubbed his hips against the bed. "So hot."

"Think about you," Paul whined. "Think about all the things I want to do to you. Or have you do to me."

"So hot," Will whispered again. He crawled into Paul's lap and licked across his lips.

Paul's hand slid down to Will's ass. He thumbed against Will's opening, gently dipping inside.

"Paul," Will grunted. "I want to try what we saw in the video."

"Fuck, yes," Paul praised.

Several minutes later, Paul eased into a stretched and slick Will. Will was lying flat on his back, legs dangling off the side of the bed. Paul, standing, held onto Will's thighs working up a rhythm.

Will threw his head onto the bed with a loud grunt, fisting the sheets.

"Love getting to hear you," Paul groaned. "Never get to hear you at yours."

"Try now," Will insisted. "Paul, please."

"Uh huh," Paul said.

Paul stopped working his hips long enough to gather Will in his arms and stand up. Still connected, Paul adjusted until his arms were under Will's legs.

Will held onto Paul's neck in a death grip.

"I'm not going to drop you," Paul huffed. This position was definitely harder to maintain than he thought.

"Shut up," Will ordered. "And fuck me."

Paul, thighs and arms burning, lifted Will up and down. With the help of Will pushing on Paul's shoulders, the two managed to find a steady beat.

"Oh, god," Will moaned, forearms pressing into Paul's shoulders. "Paul, fuck."

Paul ground his teeth together, too focused on the task at hand to reply.

The two only lasted a few more minutes. The intensity of the position and the friction of their bodies caused both to tumble over the edge quicker than normal.

"Fuck," Paul stated as he collapsed on the bed, crushing Will.

Will grunted. "Holy shit. I did not think that was going to work," Will laughed.

"That was the greatest workout of my entire life," Paul praised. "Also, I'm pretty sure I've never come that fast ever."

"You are watching porn more often," Will said, moving away from Paul. "I insist."

Paul and Will both started giggling.

Paul reached out for his phone, finally closing the video. He noticed a message.

"My dad wants to meet for lunch," Paul said after reading the text.

"You should go," Will told Paul.

"But we were going to stay in bed all day," Paul reminded Will.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "But you've got a lot of years to make up for not seeing John. You should go."

"You're a nice guy, Will Horton," Paul declared.

"I'm just winning some points so we can do that again," Will gestured between Paul's arms and lower body.

"I guess I better start hitting the weights," Paul teased.

Will left Paul's hotel after a quick shower. He had called to check on Ari and she was already safely with the babysitter.

Will was so relieved he was able to afford the babysitter again.

'Not all the time,' Will reminded himself. 'But once a week is manageable.'

With the sudden free time he found himself with, Will contemplated his options. 'Maybe I'll just go home and do nothing. That would be nice.'

'Or not,' Will thought. His phone started ringing and his grandpa's name flashed across the screen.

"Hello?" Will asked warily.

"Will," Roman sighed. "We need you at the station."

"Why?" Will wondered.

"We have some questions for you," Roman admitted reluctantly.

Will walked by a newspaper stand. On the front page he saw a picture of Paige's friend he ran into the day before. The one that Chad was arguing with in the alley behind TBD. The one that Will talked to briefly.

'Fourth Victim Slain,' Will read. 'DiMera, Horton wanted for questioning.'

"Seriously, Grandpa?" Will groaned. 'Here we go again with the false accusations.'

Author's Note:

Everything should be caught up to the beginning of the story. And as you can see, I have changed some things regarding the serial killer storyline. I'm excited to see where I can take it.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading!

iluvh0rs3s, thank you for being my sounding board!